Summary of the results Lawrence O'Donnell made a specific claim on his show comparing terrorism by veterans to border-related terrorism

1. What the claim alleges — a stark comparison aired on MSNBC

Legal Insurrection summarizes and condemns a segment from Lawrence O'Donnell's show in which he reportedly compared terrorism by U.S. military veterans to "illegal immigrants crossing the southern border," asserting the U.S. Army (and by extension veterans) poses a greater terrorism threat than the southern border; the site highlights his reference to the New Orleans attack and Timothy McVeigh as evidence used on-air ^[1].

2. Sources available and their limitations

The only source in the provided set that documents the quote and context is Legal Insurrection, a conservative-leaning opinion site that frames the remark as a “smear” and editorializes heavily ^[1]. The other search results are generic program pages and episode listings for The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]} but contain no transcript or supporting clip in the supplied material. Therefore, primary verification (full transcript or video) and independent mainstream reporting are not present in the collection provided ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}.

3. What Legal Insurrection reports, verbatim where available

Legal Insurrection quotes a line attributed to O'Donnell: “It is very clear from the evidence that if you want to worry about terrorism in this country, the United States Army is a much bigger problem than the southern border,” and notes the host used examples such as the New Orleans attacker and Timothy McVeigh to support the claim ^[1]. The piece frames the comment as a “shocking new low” and labels it a “smear,” indicating the outlet’s interpretive stance ^[1].

4. Missing elements you should note — evidence and context not found here

Available sources do not include the full segment, a timestamped clip, a transcript, or O'Donnell’s fuller lines that could clarify whether he meant active-duty soldiers, veterans, or a subset ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}. The supplied material does not show responses from MSNBC, O'Donnell, law enforcement, veterans groups, or independent fact-checkers; those perspectives are therefore not available for balance in this set ^{[1] [2]}.

5. How to interpret using only the available reporting

Because the only substantive account is Legal Insurrection’s article and that piece is explicitly critical, readers should treat the specific wording and framing as presented by that outlet while recognizing the possibility of excerpting or emphasis shaping perception ^[1]. Without the original broadcast text or alternative reporting in the provided set, it is not possible to confirm tone, nuance, or any subsequent clarification O'Donnell may have offered ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}.

6. Competing viewpoints and next reporting steps

Legal Insurrection offers a clear critical viewpoint labeling the remark a smear ^[1]. The program pages for The Last Word exist and could contain the primary source, but those specific pages in this collection do not provide the segment or transcript—searching MSNBC/NBC archives, video clips, or independent fact-checkers would be the next steps to corroborate, obtain full context, and locate any rebuttals or explanations from O'Donnell or MSNBC ^{[2] [5]}.

7. Bottom line for readers seeking clarity

Based on the provided set, a controversial line attributed to Lawrence O'Donnell was reported and criticized by Legal Insurrection, but independent confirmation and fuller context are not present in these results; verify by locating the original MS Now broadcast clip or transcript and checking mainstream or fact-check reporting before treating the quote as definitive ^{[1] [2]}.